Staged Play at Miami University

Where do I begin? I wasn’t sure where I was standing is appropriate before the play started. I felt there was still a distance between the performer and me, even though, we were fairly close to them. When one of them looked into my eyes, I didn’t feel pulled into their story because I didn’t understand their gestures and behavior. Questions came up. Maybe because I was missing some background information? Later, I was lead to the performance and wasn’t sure what to expect. This performance was definitely unlike any other stage performances I went where I sat and watched from afar. I was able to see closely at their expressions and lightly participate.

My most memorable part of the scene was when one Earthian and Martian met at one place at a point in time. My first thought was they are connected through time. One living in the future and the other in the past. They both existed in their present. I find this interesting because the past doesn’t move because one can say it disappears when a new action arises. Somehow, they were able to meet at one point in time. Is time how we think it is? Can we only go forward and not backward?

Near the end of the play, an Earthian mentioned they have arrived on Mars. The daughter complained about when they can go back home. I suddenly thought, wait, home. Right! The Earth is our home. Why does it make it our home? Yes, it is where we live, but most importantly, it contains our past. It’s a place with our past met our daily activities, places we encounter, and people we engaged with. After watching this play, I realize home is not only where we are contained within and where the self looks for the familiarity. It also resembles of our past as well as how we imagine our future to be. It’s how we feel acquainted with our identity. We have established our routines around our environment. This environment is a whole system that we have built over the course of generations.

This performance was definitely unlike any other stage performances I went where I sat and watched from afar. I am impressed and amazed. At times, it reminded me we are bits and pieces of the Earth.